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Dinner with the Hylands
(Ace and Joy after revealing to her father shes an evolved)
Gabriella smiled approvingly at Joy, "Well, at least one of you has remember her life lessons." She complimented, "Now then, Ace, I know all boys eat enough for three girls. Come along now!" It was Samuel and Irene she put her arms around as she shuttled them all off to the dining room.
Where there was enough food to feed thirty people. Two kinds of casserole, large rolls, a large vegetable salad and a fruit salad, macaroni-and-cheese, a plate of french fries with fixings beside it, and a plate piled high with battered fish. All of it was homemade. Lesley was sitting at the head of the table already.
"And WHERE is Thomas?" Gabriella demanded.
"He's asleep."
"Well, typical, and he'll wake up just as I'm done cleaning up, I'm certain of it!" Gabriella stated, but didn't sound too upset. "Well, sit down, and let's pray -- Lesley, if you would --"
And after, Lesley was the first to start grabbing generous potions of this and that, causing Gabriella to scold that maybe he'd been half up before the end of this prayer.
Gabriella took Irene's plate, and immediately told her to eat what was there and not complain, she had to make sure her daughter would eat more than just the macaroni and cheese. Or no desert!
Lee grabbed the basket of rolls, taking one for himself and giving one to Sam, Ace, and Joy. He then continued to ask what they liked, but then turned his attention to Joy when Ace announced, with some air of boyish indignation, that he could serve himself, asking her what he could get for her.
Ace took Lesley and Samuel's examples, jumping in to get what he liked, as much as he wanted.
There was so much food... Joy had never seen quite the spread like this before. But then again, as she looked around the table, her family had been one shy of the numbers here before the divorce...then after that...well...
Joy seated herself where there was a plce for her. Her blue eyes still darting over the large supply of food. When it came time to bow her head in prayer, she clasped her hands tightly together, and mentally addeded to the end of Lesley's prayer 'Please let my family be like this again someday God.' "Amen"
Then it seemed like madness had erupted! If it weren't for Lee, being such a gentleman, Joy probably wouldn't have gotten anything at all but scraps. Everyone was grabbing and laughing and talking so loudly! No....no macaroni and cheese for her....Yes to the fruit and vegtable salad. No no...she didn't want any french fries or battered fish...yes she'd take a roll...maybe just a tiny bit of one of the cassaroles..No no, smaller then that! Sitting there and looking at her plate, she looked over to see Ace's and then at the other childrens plates.
But the food only preoccupied Joy for a short period of time. After Lee had finished serving her, she hadn't even had the sense to hiss at Ace for being so rude, Joy sat in silence and watched everyone eat. Closing her eyes, she let her head bow just a small bit...and she listened.
It was loud. It was hard to follow what everyone was saying. Clatter of silverware, plate ware and glasses. Voices....
It was a happy sound.
Joy let herself drink it in. It filled her with a very warm and comfortable feeling. Dinners at home were never like this. She and mom ate with small chat over their dinners. Quiet, and usually about silly things that were soon dropped. This was different. This felt...like love. It was weird to think of it that way. Joy could feel her eyes watering a bit. How she wanted, so badly, to have this herself. Mom and dad and Ace..yeah even Ace. Sitting around a dinner table, chatting about all sorts of things. Opening her eyes again, Joy peered up under her bangs so she could just..watch. Despite her earlier remark about being hungry...she found herself hungerier for something else that simply was not food.
Indeed, what seemed to Joy and Ace as an explosion of someone coming down on them earlier was merely a continual roar for the Hylands. Gabriella chattered on, directing people at first, and then on about this subject and that...she seemed to be carrying a different conversation with each of her family members, and somehow kept up with all of them in a timely fashion. Lee was practically fighting Gabriella for Lesley's attention, constantly running over what it was she was saying to him to add what he thought needed to be added and to describe an exploit of his here and there. He also was engaged in a conversation with Ace about evolveds and how super awesome they ALL were and how this ability was like that and this ability did this and how liked this and that AND.... Although he was sitting beside the two he was conversing with, he spoke loudly enough that they could all listen to him if they'd wanted to.
Irene sat beside Gabriella, picking at the salad on her plate. She wasn't allowed to have what she wanted -- which was macaroni and cheese -- until she had a serving of vegetables and fruits and fish, but she didn't want any of those. So she observed the others and tried to pass her food onto Samuel beside her -- but almost always got caught by Gabriella, even when she WAS looking the other way. PFfth. Mothers! So she settled for eating very slowly.
Samuel had elbowed Joy earlier to make her sit between him and Ace. Apparently his usual perch was beside Irene, and he wasn't going to let Joy usurp his position even though Irene had patted the chair next to her for Joy, which left Joy between him and Ace. Samuel wasn't nearly as loud as his brother and mother were, though not as quiet as his father -- who, despite being the main person everyone was focused on (or perhaps because of), managed not to say much of anything. He answered his mother--usually having to nod or shake his head because she almost never failed to catch him right as he'd bitten into something, but would loudly denounce something Lee had said or clarify points when he felt it was necessary... Which wasn't too terribly often. Oh..Heh, and he proved to have the same ability to follow all of the conversations that went around that Gabriella had, as he commented on all of them at least once during the conversation.
When Lesley spoke, which was always quietly, the din did quiet to hear him. He never did say more than a few words, and usually didn't speak to comment. He spoke to ask questions. And many an observer would be right in their suspicions that his questions were designed to cause more explosive conversation. He couldn't have looked more pleased nor proud of those surrounding him. Somehow, despite the fact that he tended to choose one person to look at when they were speaking, he also gave an air of always knowing what was happening. Perhaps that came from the fact that when Irene or Samuel spoke up, his eyes attention turned immediately to them, no matter how quiet Irene's input was.
Gabriella had asked early on if Joy was alright, but then left her be. Closer toward everyone finishing, Samuel leaned over to her, "Sorry," he whispered, and cast a look to his loud family.
Irene was not the only one who ate slowly. Joy took her time. Slowly cleaning her plate, she listened with a bit of difficulty to all the concersations. She simply couldn't follow them all! So she did not try to join them. Silently chewing on her food, her eyes moved with a slowness over the table that did not match the quickness of the conversations. Gabe's concern over her wellbeing was met with a smile and a nod, as she did not trust her voice to even make it over the general dinn of the crowd.
She actually did not mind sitting between the two boys, though she would have preffered it if she had sat net to Irene. She suspected she and the girl could have quietly chatted to each other at the very least, but Sam seemed quite set on having his seat. She wondered if perhaps his desire had something to do with the less then pleasent first impression he had with Ace.
As Joy's plate would eventually empty, she pushed it away from her some, and contented herself to sit the rest of the meal sipping her water. No no, she was very full now, she insisted when Gabe would notice her clean plate. Joy was a firm believer in the fact that it took your body about ten minutes to realize it had gotten enough food. If she got hungry again later..she'd snack on a apple or yogurt. There was no reason to gorge herself.
It did not surprise Joy too much, to see how Lesley presided over dinner. He was a happy father and proud of his family. There was such...such...Love here. Joy didn't want it to end. She wanted to just sit there and, for a short period of time, melt into it. This was a feeling she had not had in so many years now. It made her a little sad when it began to wind down.
When Sam spoke to her, apologizeing, she looked down at him, and allowed a faint smile to pull at her lips. "No, it's okay. I understand you not wanting to sit next to Ace. He'd proably have eaten everything around you before you had a chance to get some. Oh..wait, you mean the noise? no..that is okay too. Your lucky Sam..really...really lucky. Your family loves each other..." Joy had to fight to keep her smile in place. The sad words 'I wish mine did' was barely bitten back.
Looking up, Joy noticed that everyone was pretty much done with the main course, and she knew that dessert would be following. Rather then being rude, for she suspected dinner would be served on a grand scale equal to dinner, she quickly excused herself unter the pretense of needing to use the bathroom. Since they had gone there to wash up, she certainly didn't need help finding it, and promised to be right back. Pushing back her chair, she quickly walked off. With all these feelings jumbled up inside of her, Joy really...really....needed a few moments of quiet to herself.
"Samuel Arthur! What did you tell that young lady?" Gabriella demanded the moment she thought Joy would be out of earshot.
Samuel gave Gabriella a really confused look, shrugging his shoulders. Gabriella frowned slightly, then smiled very faintly, "Why, Ace, you have such a lovely sister. You ought to be proud to have such a darling. I trust you and your parents have a lot of fun together."
"Gabriella."
"Sshhush, you!" Gabriella waved her hand dismissively at Lesley's warning tone, then looked back at Ace, obviously expecting an answer.
"Nah," Ace shook his head, "She just moved back here. We--"
"OH!" Now Gabriella understood what she'd been trying to figure the whole time, "Well, I suppose you'll be spending all sorts of time with her now, you ought to try, you know. She obviously---"
"What IS it with you people?" Ace demanded, "I don't need to be lectured on how to take care of my sister all the time!"
"OH!" And now she understood Lesley's warning, "Well, I was JUST saying---"
"And I'm JUST saying, you being a superhero, and you being his wife doesn't give you the right to lecture me!"
"Well, being an older and wiser adult DOES, and I will not have you speaking to me like that!"
"Then don't speak to him like that."
Gabriella froze, and turned a surprised look at her husband. Had he just--?
"Gabriella."
She pursed her lips. Yes, yes he did and was. Well, then!
"I call the--" "---TABLE!!!" "I called first!" "Drying!" "Idiots---" "I wanted the table." "---IDIOTS, he's got a dish washer!"
"Lee, you can rinse the dishes, if that's the tone you're going to take. Samuel, you can dry them and take them out of the dishwasher later. Irene can clean off the table, and Joy can help when she gets back. Lesley, you're to set the table for desert when Lee is finished with the dishes."
"What about Ace?" Lee demanded. "You can help me with the dishes." Lee picked up a large bowl and placed it in Ace's arms, then grabbed his and Ace's plates. Gabriella picked up another bowl. It was unsaid, but it was always her job to put the uneaten food away and over see the dish washing (or rinsing, in this case).
Irene ran to go get Joy and tell her she was helping her clean off the table.
----
"Your parents are divorced and you don't live with your sister?" Lee hiss-whispered to Ace, more in conspiratory talk of something they weren't supposed to than anything, "You don't have evil stepparents, do you?"
"ALMOST did, but I got rid of him! Mom's a ditz..."
"...And Joy lives with her? Poor her!"
"Uh..." Ace frowned. He hated all this uncomfortable revelation stuff about having been so selfish and cruel about his father, especially with his sister. Why couldn't the Hylands come up with a more comfortable revelation!?! Like...like something COOL about his powers. THAT'S what he was here for, not THIS! "I guess."
"Lucky for her to be back!"
"I guess...What kind of powers do you have?"
"OH yeah!!" Lee's eyes lit up, "You're so lucky, you can train with her! You both have abilities, don't you? That's like the coolest thing to do with my brother! The ONLY good thing about him," His voice dropped, "Dad and Mum don't know we do. We're not allowed to."
"So, what ARE they--?"
Lee grinned, "Well---"
-----
"Joy! We hafeta clean the table! Will you help me carry the heavy things?" Irene called from the hallway.
Yousei Akki · Sat Mar 08, 2008 @ 09:18pm · 0 Comments |
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